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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · march · lash · date · safe · racket · wax · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. march — music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. march — the month
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. clip — for paper
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rule — a law
  18. wax — to grow
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rule — government
  21. march — the month
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com